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I’m always impressed when people are able to develop creative ways to communicate a message that evokes a deep sense of awe.
This video, using a technique called pixilation, left me in awe.
It took 4 weeks of prep, 4 days of shooting, 20 “animators”, and close to 300,000 tea lights. The making-of video on the original website is as amazing as the video itself.
Click on the picture below to jump to a hi-res link of the video.
I just heard one of the best sermons over the past few years…
At yesterday’s National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., Bono, lead singer of U2 implored our entire nation to raise the bar in reaching out to the poor…specifically the poor in Africa. Among other things…Bono pointed out that currently, the US gives less than one percent of its budget to relief in Africa. His adamant request and plea was for the US to tithe just one percent more to the situation in Africa. Bono said that when history looks back on us, we will be known for what we do, or don’t do, with the problems in Africa.
As a huge U2 fan because of thier music and an even bigger Bono fan because of his relentless desire to follow Jesus’ lead in reaching the poor, I loved especially this selected quote:
Look, whatever thoughts you have about God, who He is or if He exists, most will agree that if there is a God, He has a special place for the poor. In fact, the poor are where God lives.
God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house… God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives… God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war… God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. “If you remove the yolk from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom with become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places”
It’s not a coincidence that in the Scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times. It’s not an accident. That’s a lot of air time, 2,100 mentions. [You know, the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor.] ‘As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.’ (Matthew 25:40). As I say, good news to the poor.
And then Bono strikes a chord in me that has been resonating over the past week.
…A number of years ago, I met a wise man who changed my life. In countless ways, large and small, I was always seeking the Lord’s blessing. I was saying, you know, I have a new song, look after it. I have a family, please look after them. I have this crazy idea…
And this wise man said: stop.
He said, stop asking God to bless what you’re doing.
Get involved in what God is doing – because it’s already blessed.
Well, God, as I said, is with the poor. That, I believe, is what God is doing.
And that is what he’s calling us to do.
Enough said.
Bin Laden Threatens Attacks, Offers Truce
After nearly a year of silence, Bin Laden aired a 10-minute tape that included, among other things, a loose reference as to how Americans could avoid other attacks. The AP reports that:
Bin Laden tells Americans that “if you are sincere in your desire for peace and security, and if Bush refuses to do anything but continue lies and oppression,” then he recommends Americans read a book entitled “The Rogue State,” apparently a reference to a book of that title by political analyst William Blum. The book has been published in Arabic.
William Blum’s Rogue State was published in 2000 and is a highly charged political piece that paints the United States as a terrosist state.
Have not read it yet and can’t comment on it but would love to hear from anybody who has. Obviously Bin Laden enjoyed it…
Vengeful Mouse Sets House Ablaze
I thought this only happened in B horror movies…
Sharon in Critical Condition After Suffering ‘Extensive’ Stroke
In the most politically tense regions in the world, a key player is sidelined. What is next for Israel’s leadership? Who will replace Sharon and will they move towards peace within the region or move Israel closer to confilt with the Palestinians and Iran? Time will tell…and until then prayers are definitely needed.
